Extreme Fire Weather Concerns for the Western U.S.; Severe Weather and Flooding Threats for the Central U.S.

Extremely critical fire weather conditions are expected to develop across the Great Basin and Southwest today, and exceptionally dry and windy conditions will promote rapid wildfire spread through the weekend. Scattered severe thunderstorms and heavy rain are possible across parts of the Ozark Plateau into lower Ohio Valley and parts of the northern Rockies into adjacent Great Plains. Read More >

Overview

Scattered showers with a few embedded thunderstorms tracked northeast across areas generally north of I 80 the afternoon and evening of August 16, as a warm front lifted into east central Iowa and northwest Illinois. Between 720 and 7:30 pm, one shower located along the warm front about 3 miles west of Freeport, IL produced two tornadoes, which caused some minor damage to a house; as well as some crop and tree damage. Another brief tornado occurred approx 5 mi WNW of Elizabeth, IL where extensive tree damage was seen.

South of Interstate 80, showers more isolated in nature were observed. Elsewhere, partly to mostly cloudy skies prevailed, with temperatures in the low to mid 80s.

Interactive Radar Loop

Tornado
Photos

Tornadoes:

Tornado 1 - 5 West of Freeport, IL
STEPHENSON COUNTY

Date	8/16/17
Time (Local)	7:21 - 7:28 pm CDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	90 mph
Path Length	2.84 mi
Max Width	75 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: A weak EF1 tornado tracked north northeast, damaging numerous trees. Two homes also suffered minor damage.

Track Map

Tornado 2 - 4.5 NW of Freeport, IL
STEPHENSON COUNTY

Date	8/16/17
Time (Local)	7:28 - 7:36 pm CDT
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	80 mph
Path Length	3.31 mi
Max Width	20 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: An EF0 tornado developed at the same time as a tornado just to the south, and damaged trees on its north/northeast path.

Track Map

Tornado 2 - 4.8 WNW of Elizabeth, IL
JO DAVIESS COUNTY

Date	8/16/17
Time (Local)	7:22 - 7:24 pm CDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	90 mph
Path Length	0.54 mi
Max Width	60 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: A weak EF-1 tornado tracked northeast, causing extensive tree damage. Large walnut trees were uprooted and snapped off around 10 feet off the ground.

Track Map

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph